Manila: The death toll from the deadliest cyclone to hit the Philippines this year has climbed to 67, with 12 people still missing, the national disaster management agency has said. President Rodrigo Duterte was scheduled to fly to the northern Tuguegarao province later in the day to assess the situationContinue Reading
Rome: The Chinese government’s latest five-year plan proposal contains a birth policy with an emphasis on eugenics, a China scholar said this week. China, known for its decades-long one-child policy, is now looking to counter its ageing population by encouraging Chinese women to have more babies — but only certainContinue Reading
New York: Pope Francis has telephoned Joe Biden, says a statement from the US president-elect. “President-elect Joe Biden spoke this morning (November 12) with His Holiness Pope Francis. The President-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’ leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation,Continue Reading
Vatican City: The Vatican’s Nov. 10 McCarrick Report has raised new questions about the finances of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and his use of the Archbishop’s Fund, an account he maintained for charitable purposes, first in Newark and then in Washington, D.C. In particular, the report notes that McCarrick contributedContinue Reading
Vatican City: Coronavirus restrictions have forced the Vatican to scale down Nov. 14 commemoration of the World Day of the Poor, a Vatican archbishop said Nov. 12. Speaking at a press conference Nov. 12, Archbishop Rino Fisichella said that the pope would not be able to host a lunch forContinue Reading
Christians and Muslims throughout the world experienced harassment in more countries than any other religious groups in 2018. It’s a pattern that has remained consistent since 2007, when the Pew Research Center began tracking the level of government restrictions on religion. Christians and Muslims are the two largest religious groupsContinue Reading
Vatican City: Pope Francis blessed a statue of the Immaculate Virgin Mary of the Miraculous Medal at the end of his Wednesday general audience. The statue will soon begin to travel around Italy as part of an evangelization initiative by the Vincentian Congregation of the Mission. The pope met withContinue Reading
Rome: Pope Francis pledged Wednesday to rid the Catholic Church of sexual abuse and offered prayers to victims of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a day after the Vatican released a detailed report into the decades-long church cover-up of his sexual misconduct. Francis concluded his weekly general audience Nov. 11 by recallingContinue Reading
By Jason Horowitz Vatican City: A highly anticipated Vatican report found November 10 that Pope John Paul II had rejected explicit warnings about sexual misconduct by Theodore E. McCarrick, now a disgraced former cardinal, choosing to believe the American prelate’s denials and misleading accounts by bishops as he elevated himContinue Reading
New York: As Father Michael Joncas watched Joe Biden’s victory speech November 7, he was amazed to hear the presumed president-elect talk about a hymn “close to his heart. Biden also spoke the refrain of “On Eagle’s Wings”: “And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings/ bear you onContinue Reading